Beep card for EDSA buses pushed

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker yesterday proposed the use of electronic card system in public buses to help ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

Samar first district Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, who chairs the House transportation committee, said modernizing the fare system of buses passing through EDSA would not only reduce the time spent on fare collection but also ensure increased revenue for bus companies.

Sarmiento said shifting from manual fare collection to the beep card system, which is used at the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit, would be necessary in the government’s plan to organize bus firms into a consortium and adopt the synchronized bus dispatch system.

To avoid additional costs to bus riders in purchasing beep cards, Sarmiento suggested that the government should take advantage of the National ID system and turn the IDs into machine-readable electronic cards.

The lawmaker said he is conducting consultations with various stakeholders for the introduction of an organized dispatch system for buses plying EDSA.

Earlier, House Deputy Minority Leader and Marikina Rep. Bayani Fernando pushed for revival of the organized bus route (OBR) system to help ease traffic congestion on EDSA.

Fernando said the OBR, which was implemented when he was chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority, would be effective in solving the traffic woes in the metropolis if implemented properly.